Western feminists ignore Iran and boycott Israel

Iranian young women ar ignored by their Western sisters in their struggle against the dictatorship.

Giulio Meotti, 04/01/18 06:41

giulio meott

צילום: עצמי

Giulio Meotti

The writer, an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter and of "J'Accuse: the Vatican Against Israel" published by Mantua Books.. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary.

The most deafening silence is that of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid al-Hussein, the Jordanian prince always ready to condemn Israel and the United States, but who has never spent a single word on the victims of Iran's repression.

Then rhere is the silence of the Human Rights Council's committees. Not a single urgent declaration by these “experts” on arbitrary detention, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and torture?

But the silence which is more surprising is that of the feminists.

The Iranian girl waving her white hijab to say no to the Islamic Republic of the ayatollahs has become the iconic picture of the protests. Many young women in Iran are imitating her gesture to say "no" to any form of oppression.

Western feminists are silent.

The National Organization of Women (NOW) is silent. The American Association of University Women is silent, too busy talking about the "wage gap".Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom tweeteed that she is “following” the demonstrations in Iran. Not so much from a minister proud to lead “the first feminist government in the world”.

A year ago, Swedish Trade Minister Ann Linde and ten other female members of the Löfven's government marched in front of Iranian President Hassan Rohani wearing hijabs and long coats, in accordance with the “modesty” laws that in Iran made the Islamic veil mandatory. Ann Linde's tweets were against online hate speech and climate change.

The tweets of Federica Mogherini, responsible for the foreign policy of Brussels, speak instead of “monitoring” the situation in Iran (she too has drawn long veils on her visits to Tehran, including many selfies with the ayatollahs).

Faced with the attacks of the liberal leader Jan Björklund in the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, Ann Linde defended her hijab by saying that she was not ready to violate Iranian law.

So the Iranian girls are abandoned in their struggle against the dictatorship.

American feminist groups are preparing for the “March of women” as they did last year, but while their Iranian sisters take the streets to protest a fundamentalist government, in search of real equal rights, American feminist organizations are disgustingly silent. Real feminists should be mobilized for the cause of these Iranian women, because the struggle for equality does not stop with the correct “gender” pronouns, but should try to defeat an Islamic, Islamist and fundamentalist regime that for decades, has kept women as second-class citizens.

The National Organization of Women (NOW) is silent. The American Association of University Women is silent, too busy talking about the "wage gap". And the Women's Marchers? They are organizing a conference .... in Las Vegas. Title? "Together We Rise".

Linda Sarsour, one of the leaders of the Women's March, has spent years trying to affirm the hijab as a symbol of "empowerment". In the past few days, she is busy tweeting against Donald Trump, “American colonialism in Puerto Rico” and in favor of the boycott of Israel.

These feminists should take a tour of Israel, where women can be IAF pilots if they so wish. Then they should go to Saudi Arabia, where perhaps they might even be allowed to drive cars. Perhaps....